The Daily Worker Newspaper, March 6, 1934, Page 4

Page Four DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1934 eee EE. “Socialist” Vienna Really Part of Capitalist State Boast of Austrian Socialist Leaders Hid Failure to Smash Bourgeois Rule By D. Z. MANUILSKY Article XIV BT us take the “trump card” of| Austrian social-democracy — the | municipality of Vienna. We know/ that throughout the whole post-war) policy of Austrian social-democracy, | the municipality of Vienna has Played the same part as the Prus-/| sian government played in the policy | of German social-democracy. If,| in the opinion of Wels, the Prus-| sian government was the bulwark of the Weimer Constitution, the} municipality of Vienna, which is in| the hands of the social-democrats, | is, in the opinion of Otto Bauer,| the citadel of Austrian social-dem- ocracy and of the working class against the attacks of fascism. Can| it be that the municipality of Vienna is a “bit of socialism” within the system of bourgeois dic- atorship? If Otto Bauer considers that the proletariat in socialist Austria, re- lying on its own armed force, on the support of the proletariat of he U. S. S. R. organized as the state of the proletarian dictator- ship, on the support of the work- ing class, of Germany and of the whole world, would be unable to hold out more than a few days,| then how can the “socialism” of Vienna, absolutely unarmed, with- | out even its own police, how can it hold out as a “citadel of social- ism” within the system of the capi- talist state? The class character of the dic- tatorship of the bourgeoisie in Aus- tria is just as little altered by the| fact that the Austrian social-dem-| ocrats have their seats in the muni-| cipality of Vienna as was the char- acter of the bourgeois dictatorship in Germany by the fact that the German social-democrats had their seats in the apparatus of Prus- sian government. The municipality of Vienna is a part of the whole system of the capitalist state. Its acts are based on the bourgeois laws of the state which protect capitalist property. Its “reforms” and its measures may | introduce certain correctives into the way the requirements of the ‘reat toiling masses of Vienna’s| population are met, but the class character of the municipality of Vienna as a branch of the capitalist state is not changed by them. If a social-democratic chauffeur drives a car belonging to a trans- port company, the machine does hot become an instrument of social- ist production. And if Seitz is commissioned by the bourgeoisie to! direct the municipal economy of Vienna, this economy does not thereby acquire a socialist character. On the contrary, it is subject to all the laws of capitalism. The economic cri: fluence upon it as it has upon a| private enterprise. It feels the pres- sure of the law of capitalist com-| petition. Just like a private com-/ pany, it cuts down the number of! workers employed in the municipal | enterprises, lowers wages, reduces | the quantity and quality of muni-| ipal services at the disposal of the| working population, cuts down} house-building, schools, etc. The same closes “surplus” thing operative “socialism” society. It is merely a branch in the whole system of capitalist eco- nomy. in the municipality of Vienna were conscientiously concerned with really | helping the working population, not a single would hurl reproaches at such a municipality. But the social-democrats dis- seminate illusions among the masses through their theories that Vienna is a socialist island in the midst of a capitalist ocean. In the municipality, the social-democrats carry on the same policy of con-| ciliation with the bourgeoisie as in| They | the Austrian parliament. come into daily contact -with the representatives of the bourgeoisie, talk to them not as revolutionaries who are compelled for the time be-| ing to live in capitalist society, but | as people who have one and the| same platform—that of a common- wealth “above classes.” When social-democracy penetrated the municipality of Vienna, it left the whole reactionary apparatus untouched. We know that social- democratic officials in the service of a capitalisi government are gradually trained to look upon themselves as part and parcel of the whole state apparatus. They assimiliate themselves into the new environment, take on the same shade of political opinion, the same habits, the same manoeuvres, the same manner of life as their fas- cist and semi-fascist petty-bour- geois surroundings. (To Be Continued) Buffalo Bakery Drivers Strike By a Worker Correspondent BUFFALO, N. Y.—The Hall Bak- | ery drivers are striking for recogni- tion of their union under the A. F. of L. leaders. By having strikers visit the customers from house to house, | urging the consumer not to buy bread from the scab drivers, we strikers received the cooperation of the housewives, We have but one thing to look out for, fellow drivers, the routes that are owned by drivers. They must join our strike or the company will pitch them into such a position as to divide our ranks. Join us, Bobtail drivers, we will fight for increases in commission rate for you, Brothers, we are not alone in our} s has the same in-| Struggle. The retail bakery drivers| all over the United States are the/| most cheated and robbed lot of workers in the country. What are the conditions? I have worked on several retail routes. We are robbed by the company, and also must carry unemployed workers on credit, often bringing losses out of our pay en- velopes. We must pay for stale bread, carrying a large balance. CONDUCTED BY LUKE ‘© YOU HAVE TEARS, PREPARE | in one of the new off-the-face hats | “We have had harmony here and TO SHED THEM NOW (ROM a Chicago girl worker comes a letter “with a clipping of especial interest apropos of the articles already printed here as to the situation cf women in this crisis, and the contrast between the proletarian woman’s and the bour- geois woman's conception of the solution. The letter says: ‘TI have found that the enclosed clipping has had quite an effect on @ number of hitherto unperturbed | workers of my acquaintance, that it has stirred them to vehement pro- test, as have few other things. Therefore I send it on to you in the hope that it may be of some) ‘interest, perhaps of some use. | “Very truly, uM? The clipping, taken from the| attorney, is active in Republican | Herald-Tribune (we regret | politics, and is considered one of | its length prohibits our using it in|Chicago’s most beautiful women. | Chicago full), says: “SOCIETY WOMEN | TELL WHY THEY ENTER BUSI- | NESS. Some Seek to Maintain ‘Cer- tain Standards.’ In a series of in- | terviews with a group of society women, members of what one of them described as ‘us upper ten per cent,’ who have gone into business within the last year or two, variou~ reasons were ascribed for their en- tering what several called ‘the com- mercial world.’ “A majority of them declared shey were in business not for a chrill, but to make money... . Others expressed the opinion shat working at something gave them a feeling of being useful, save them an outlet for energies sated with the pleasures and du- ies entailed by society and of- ‘ered an escape from ‘sitting at | home and thinking of all the money we've lost.’” The Starving Bourgeoisie The report continues, quoting two | women who run a dress shop: | “Two of the reputedly successful | vomen who recently went into) ousiness, who are well known to| Chicago society, declare frankly they | have become business women ‘be- | cause we need the money.’ They | are Mrs. Augustus Eddy and Mrs. | Walter B. Wolf... . ‘Of course we | aren't exactly out on the street,’| Mrs. Eddy laughed, ‘but we do ac- | tually need the money. I have cut} down on living expenses. I’ve got- | down to bedrock. I’ve rented | house and moved to an apart- ment I have gotten rid of all my | except one maid... . Eddy was dressed smartly | Most of us are hard pressed finan- | people who've been used to every- | bank stocks aren’s paying dividends, | | most of them. of black ... and a black dress... . She wore low-heeled black shoes. “My feet hurt now; it’s good to sit down and rest them... being on my feet most of the day from about nine o’clock to five o'clock, and often later. . . . I cer- tainly believe a woman’s place is in the home, first, last and al- ways. It is a sacrifice for me to leave mine. . . . It would be fine to become a home body and al! that, but it would mean Yd have to give up sending my children to private school... . You know, the persons who have suffered most in this depression are the uppen ten per cent...” Another Heartrending Case “Mrs. Wolf, whose husband {fs an Like Mrs. Eddy, she works full time in the shop, being driven in from Winnetka early each morning, by her chauffeur. ... Mrs. Wolf said that clothes had always interested her. . . . ‘I really love this business,’ she said. ... ‘Then, too... I've always been interested in different angles of life, don’t you know. I’m | interested in everything around us, | all types of people, and so on... .| I'm not in business temporarily. . I'm thinking of the future. cially. And it’s much harder for thing to do without. Of course I) still have investments, but even my | “I have leased the apartment I own at 209 Lake Shore Drive, - . . We're living in my country place at Winnetka. And I’ve cut down even there. Always before T’ve had four gardeners. Now I have only two. “My two youngest children .. . are away at college, of course.’ “The large number of society women going into business Is ‘part of the great stride of American women in getting ahead, in proving they have as much business ability 8s men,’ according to Mrs. Wolf.” se ak 5 Working women! Into the streets or to the mass meetings on March 8, International Wo- men’s Day. Let the smug para- sites hear about our hungry kids; | demand free food, free clothing, | free transportation for children of | unemployed, workers and farmers, | happens with| municipal “socialism” as with co-| in capitalist | And if the social-democrats | Communist proletarian | into | black and white! Steel Case | Worker In Birmingham | Tells How Government Helps To Maintain A Company Union By a Republic Steel Worker BIRMINGHAM, Ala—The em-| ployees of the Republic Steel Cor-/| poration are waiting for the deci-| sion of the National Labor Board | on the hearing held before that | body Feb. 15, on their demand for | | recognition of a bona fide labor| | union, instead of a company union. | | The company refuses to recognize | the committees of the International | | Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter | | Workers, which represents about 80| |per cent of the employes of the| Thomas works of the Republic Steel | Corporation. The company company union claims that the} plan was unani-/ mously adopted in June 1933, by| secret ballot in which election 80) per cent of the employes partici-| pated, and that therefore the com-| pany is not bound by any other} union. Here are the facts: The company posted bulletins calling an election | within 48 hours. There was no time | for the employes to get together. |The company ran the whole show. | They ruled on who was eligible to} | vote and who was eligible for office. | There was no place on the ballot | to vote a choice between the com- pany union and a bona fide union. So enough votes were cast for a) company union representative. But | | this was not a vote of choice be-| | Abo the two unions. About Sept. 25, a meeting was held in Pratt City Hall, and a union of the LU.M. and S.W. was organ- | ized. In less than two months, more | than 80 per cent of the Thomas/ plant employes were affiliated. At| | this time, certain bosses began to | discriminate against the more mili- tant members of the union, dis- charging them on the slightest pre- | text, and in some cases on no pre- text at all. Our grievance committees tried to get an appointment with the management, but were denied an audience. A petition signed by more than 400 of the men failed to get the committee recognized. The company did, however, say that the bona fide committee could take up the case with the joint committee of the company union, which would | have put us just where we were in the beginning. This we refused to do. At the hearing before the Na- tional Labor Board, the company | lawyers were defiant. The company | is trying to wear us out and break | jour morale. Because every time| there is a new move before the gov- ernment, it takes a long long wait | before anything happens. The company is passing word | around that they will be shot down | before they will recognize the union. When the general manager found we were organizing, he called a | meeting of all white employees, and |said to them: “Boys, you have a | right to organize, but union or non- | union, you will all be treated alike. | There will be no advantage in be- | longing to a union. You will be pay- ing out your money for nothing. The company has been your friend and I appeal for your loyalty to the company.” He also implied that the com-| pany had been running at a Joss | just to keep us employed. That’s | the line they hand out to get the | suckers on the hook. Then he said: | we hope to continue to be blessed |by a good feeling and coopera- | tion between the management and | employees. But there is one thought | I woul like to leave with you. You }can shut the piant down, and the | company can shut it down. But only the company can start it up.” That was his line, but it failed | to scare us. We kept on organizing, and we will keep on fighting, white | | and Negro, against the bad condi- | tions. Put rank and file leaders in |place of the demagogues at the | head of the A. F. of L. and then | we will get what we want. War Preparations in Buffalo Area | By a Steel Worker Correspondent | BUFFALO, N. ¥.—The following | information is based on workers’ re- ports from the shops mentioned: ‘The American Brass is turning out Shells. Additional help is hired weekly. A large government order is now being manufactured. | Dupont Chemical Works is turn-| ing out explosives for filling shells. A large order is on hand. Help is better paid here than in any shop in Buffalo, A girl employe of the King Colo- nial Radio Co. (makers of radio electrical products), reported that the machines are to be converted into shell makers for cartridges and | machine-gun bullets within the next | two weeks. | This center, the Black Rock sec- tion of Buffalo, is a war and ammu- nition base. Many of the plants are| ready for conversion to making war | ammunition and shells immediately. Niagara Falls, 30 miles away, is a chemical center. Huge orders for the government are being turned out ly. The Steel and Metal Workers In- dustrial Union is carrying on two strikes in this section—the Atlas and North Buffalo Foundries. Frank Wozniak, one of the active leaders of the Atlas strike, was arrested on Feb. 26. We publish letters from steel, metal and auto workers every Tuesday. We urge workers in these industries to write us of their working conditions and of | their efforts to organize. Please | get the letters to us by Friday of | each week, | and steel workers, |to fulfill. ‘comment on it, then I believe the ito write an article on it, By a Worker Correspondent 1 BUFFALO, N. ¥.—I took part in the strike struggles of last spring} in the western Pennsylvania steel} and mining region as an organizer | of the Steel and Metal Workers} Industrial Union. I should like to call the attention of all steel work- | ers and readers of the Daily Worker | to some important lessons we should | learn from these experiences re- garding the solidarity of the miners} In the second walk-out of the miners last spring, the Clairton plant of the Carnegie Steel trust was pulled out on strike by the} march of the Fayette County strik- ers. This has set a precedent that | must be studied closely to under-/} stand how the coal and steel trusts | can be defeated. Both industries are | controlled by practically the same | heads and financial groups, the| Mellons, Fricks, Morgans, etc. Prior to the Ambridge strikes, led | by the S.M.W.1.U., the miners had | formed a united front with the| steel union at the Walworth foun- dry in Greensburgh, Pa., by send- | ing truckloads of miners and march- ing up to help us picket in our) strike. And after the murder of Adam Pietroski in the Ambridge massacre, thousands of miners at- tempted to get into Ambridge to participate in the mass funeral which was smashed by the armed thugs. In the rump strike meetings held by the miners, representatives of the S.M.W.I.U. succeeded in speak- ing, over the objections and threats of the UM.W.A. officials, helping to guide the strike struggles of the miners. In more than one instance delegations from the miners visited our headquarters requesting S.M.W. 1.U. organizers to speak to the min- ers. The coal and steel trusts well realize that this unity can defeat them. Let us, in the coming spring struggles, rouse the workers in the steel centers to house and feed these miners; let us open our relief con- ters when the next marches take place, Do not allow the same mis- takes to occur as in the past, when miners marched from Fayette County, P2. to Clairton, distances ¥ from 50 to 80 miles to give the steel workers aid, and were forced to march back on the same night be- cause of the lack of sleeping quar- ters. Let us learn to help our brother miners in helping us, their brother steel workers, Let the S.M.W.LU. go on record for holding a unity conference of miners and steel workers at the earliest possible days before the April struggles. Last year, proposals for holding a unity conference were adopted by the National Board of our union but were never carried into life; let’s carry them thru in 1934 for the double defeat of the coal and steel barons, thru united action. —G. B. Iron Workers of France Now Hit | Further By Crisis By a Worker Correspondent BRUEN BASIN, France—I want to tell you, comrades, in what con- ditions we find ourselves now. Our region is situated in the grasp of the prominent exploiter de Vaudel, one of the executives of the com- mittee of heavy industry. This is an iron ore region, a land of hunger and poverty for the working class, a source of wealth for the amuni- tion manufacturers. Our factory is a hard labor camp. Wages have decreased almost to half. In 1927, in a steel plant, we used to earn in two weeks 350 to 400 francs; and now, hardly 270 francs, and the cost of living has | increased three times. Only two months ago all went} relatively smooth. But now the blast furnaces are idle for several days in the week. The same thing is hap- pening in the rolling mills, in the work shops, at the conveyors, rail- road transportation, etc., a complete stoppage for several days during the week. Desperate poverty exists here.| Particularly the children are suffer- ing, they are half starved, poorly clothed. For them conditions are much harder than for the adults. The factory is filled with spies, | with guards of a fascist type. For | example, in my shop, the workers are forbidden to carry on conver- sations with fellow workers under threat of being discharged. The boss is afraid for the anger of the work- ers, he is afraid that the workers may follow the example of the Rus- sian workers. And what makes con- ditions harder still is the fact that the boss finds faithful defenders in the ranks of the working class—the reformist leaders. These reformist leaders in every way possible help the capitalists still further to op- press us. Here is just one small example: About a month ago the workers in the rolling mills prepared to go out on strike demanding increases in wages. Immediately, the secre- tary of the reformist trade union hurried to the factory and delivered a speech like this: DeVaudel is paying you little because he has to: dispose of his steel at low prices, and if he will increase your pay he will not be able to compete and will be forced to close the factory. Then you will entirely remain on the street. The strike was thus broken. We certainly don’t sit with folded hands. Comparing our conditions with yours, we persistently prop- agandize the achievements of the workers of the Soviet Union—our fatherland. And I must state that the workers respond to our agita- tion and all their sympathy is on; the side of the Soviet Union. The ranks of fighting sympathizers of the U.S.S.R. are growing, and be sure that in time of need we will be able to defend the Soviet Union. —French Worker Correspondent Letters from TO FORCE ENACTMENT OF | H.R. 7598 | Chicago, Til. Dear Comrades: Realizing that the majority of the people through the States do not know that a Workers’ Unemploy- ment Insurance Bill (H.R. 7598) has been introduced in the U. S. Con- gress, as the papers throughout the nation saw to it that it was given no publicity or even a scarce knowl- edge of its introduction in the lower house, this leaves it up to the Daily Worker to bring it up to the atten- tion of the people. But, as all the people in the U. S. do not read the Daily Worker, it is a hard problem Therefore I would consider it ad- visable for the Daily Worker'to have an article concerning it every day in its papers with some comment on it. Also send a request to all the other liberal editors to bring it to the attention of the public through their periodicals and demand that ; they publish the fact that the bill has been introduced in Congress. If the liberals like the “Nation” and the “New Republic” refuse to more constructive periodicals Tike the “New Masses,” and other labor pension advocates, would be willing | fuel. Stop-Watches Held Over Workers In The Sun Shipyard By a Worker Correspondent CHESTER, Pa.—A short time ago the Chester schools were closed be- cause there was no money to buy The teachers salaries have been slashed. The big contractor, Hanna, who got the job of paving Ninth St., jhas allowed the workers to work about one week in over a month, just about long enough to take those families off the Relief Board. The excuse is that the weather is too cold. It looks to the workers of the county that the C. W. A. pro- gram was invented to take the workers off the welfare list. Instead of giving them employment, it is a new system of starvation. Hanna gets about $50,000 for the job and all he does is furnish the machine—the politicians furnish the bosses—and fire the machine runners one after another because they do not make the machine do the impos- sible—more speed-up. There is one good thing about machines, there is a limit to their powers. The City furnishes the tools, and the contractor, after greasing the palms of the powers that be, swells) his bank roll at the expense of the starving men, women and children of the City. During the past few years, speed- up and more drastic measures have been introduced from time to time at the Sun Ship Building and Dry- dock Co. but still the company is not satisfied with its profits. At the Wetherill Plant of the Sun Shipyard, efficiency men have been put on the job, to time the workers with stop watches. Two watches are used, one to register the time the worker takes off the job, and one to register each individual operation. The report is that the Yard has adopted this method as well as the Machine Shop and the Foundry. One report is that it only applies to the production of the “Junker” Engine. The workers fear that this system will become permanent on all types of work. PETER O'BRIEN. (Signature Authorized.) Sign Painters Form Independent Union NEW YORK.—Fifty sign painters, meeting Saturday at the headquar- ters of the Independent Building ‘Trades Council, 20 Broadway, formed a new independent union which will be known as the Independent Sign Writers Union. The new organization will receive its charter from the Independent Building Trades Council. The next meeting of the new union will be held next Saturday -t 2 p.m. at 820 Broadway. Our Readers Editor’s Reply: The Daily Worker has been carry- ing articles almost daily on this question. The important thing now is for all workers and workers’ organiza. tions to bring mass pressure on Congress for passage of House Bill ‘H, R. 7598. All workers and organ- izations are urged to send tele- grams and letters to Chairman Con- nery of the House Labor Commit- tee and their own Congressmen and Senators, ‘The Unemployed Council is pab- lishing 100,000 copies of a postcard which will be supplied to organiza- tions and individuals, so that they may write their Congressmen urging active support for imemdiate enact- ment of the bill. One hundred thou- sand copies of the bill have been printed for general distribution. Congressman Lundeen’s remarks in- troducing this Bill into the Con- gressional Record are being re- printed and will be mai'ed out un- der the franking privilege to tens of thousands of organizations and individuals. The capitalist press can be forced to take note of this bill to the ex- tent that local demonstrations are developed which force the local gov- ernmental authorities to memorial- ize Congress for the Bill. | | \N.L.B. Stalls FOR UNITY OF MINERS Safety Still | OnRepublic 4NP STEEL WORKERS ~ | acking in Gary Plant Govt. Agent Snoops To} List Workers Who | Have No Citizen Papers be disregarded by the bosses of the | Central Mills under the direction | of Mr. Griffin, and that applies also in the open hearths and includes | PARTY LIFE Party Control Helps Tighten Checkup on Dues, Membership Strict Dues Follow-Up Fluctuation For the last few months the javerage dues payment in District | dues purchase went up to 307. The reason for this increase is and when the control was decided Can Help Decrease the of Members Dues Reflects Level of Organization The District Buro pointed out that No. 10 has been around 180 to 200,| this was an important political and {In December it increased to 206,| organizational problem that must By 2 Steel Worker Correspondent | but in November it was down to} have the immediate attention of the GARY, Ind.—Safety continues to | 156. In January, 1934, the average | Section Committee. The dues pay- }ment reflected the organizational |and political level of the unit, and \that many of our units and mem-|it also reflected the work of the \bers were so far behind in dues, | unit, the fact that this unit has re- |eruited only one new member since the transportation department. In| upon by the C. ©,, the dues had to| August, when another unit in the the past 10 days the production | be paid up to date before the mem- | same section has recruited 15 new went up to an average of 30 to 35 | ber could get the control stamp and | per cent, but the working time in- | creased with only one day a week, | and 5 days weekly and the switch- men are still on the old scale: of work. < But as for the safety, there’s none of it. For years they preached, but there's no action put to it. Besides, there has been a government agent in the plant, and the company built @ special office for him. He drives @ car around with a title on it, United States Service Engineer. He calls all of the foremen in his office and asks them questions as to how much education they've got. He questions from the boss to the high- est assistant superintendent, how many of them passed grammar school and so on. He also asks them how many men they are able to take care of, and besides all this, | all the workers were sent to the employment office to register as to who has first papers and who has! second citizenship papers, and the ones that haven’t got them are told to get their papers. But who can get a paper now and pay $10 for the first paper and $12 for the second when the workers are not making that money? ‘There’s much more going on be- sides this. When the N.R.A. was created, with the signing of the coal code, instead of the company seli- ing coal and coke to the workers, it made an agreement with the city coal dealers that they should allow coal and coke from their own coal yards, but the steel company is to do the deduction from the work- ers’ wages. Well, we fought for it through leaflets and shop papers | inside, but this is not enough. We'll have to work harder than that to win more, Only through militant struggle can we accomplish the good work, and not through the company union representatives because we} know that they are misleaders to the whole working class. The only way out is through organization, and that is the Steel and Meta! Workers Industrial Union. A Gary Steel Worker. Pressed Steel Car Company Attacks Union McKees Rocks Worker | Urges Action By Local By a Pressed Steel Car Worker McKEES ROCKS, Pa—Here in McKees Rocks, Pa., in the Pressed Steel Car Co.'s plant, we have a local of the Steel and Metal Work- ers Industrial Union. This plant has received a $3,600,000 contract, and is beginning to work on this order. The company, realizing our united strength, is determined to weaken us. Already the company is dis- criminating against the best mem- bers of our local and shop com- mittee. Now is the time that our local union should begin a real campaign to unite all the workers against this attack, and also to fight on to better the conditions of the. workers. Somehow it seems that our local union is not doing what it should do. Our union local meets only once a month, instead of once every two weeks. In this situation, the union should call a special meeting of the local and use every effort to over- come its shortcomings and strength- en itself against the coming attacks by the company. Our local should issue special shop leafiets calling on all members to unite against this discrimina- tion and for whole-hearted support of the shop committee which was elected by all the workers. It is very bad that members at | our union meetings do not take the | floor and discuss the problems of | our union and of the shop. Also| another bad feature of our local is that we have no functioning Ex- | ecutive Committee, which must be corrected immediately. Strike Of Iron Workers Continues In Rome, Ga. ... By a Worker Correspondent --. ROME, Ga—We iron workers hhaven’t gone back to work yet. Only at the Hanks Store & Range Co. the Iron Moulders’ Union officials got the workers to go back at a 10 cents cut, but when they tried to get us to go back at the wages we were getting when we struck they didn’t succeed. We have enlarged our tent. We are having to fight the police de- partment, the company and the of- ficials of the I. M. U. But we are still not shipping a I think they are go- railroad because they can’t get cars to load stoves in. Be sure and get this piece in the Daily Worker because some folks think ¥ the strike 1s settled. | bers become a member in good standing. Jan. 1, 1933, in the territory the | district takes in at present, we had | because with increase of production |149 members. ginge then up to| they have put two engines in serv-| Feb. 1, 1934, we recruited 336 new/| ice. The engineers are working 4|members. On Feb. 1, we had 302) members registered, according to reports by Section Organizers, but only 171 control stamps are sold up to that date. We recruited 18 new members in the last two weeks in December and 21 in January. The total new members exempted from control stamps is 39. According to this we would have only 210 mem- in the district. After two months hammering from the dis- trict we still have 92 members who haven't got their control stamps. In 13 months we recruited 336 new members, and we have less members at the end of the 13 months than the number we re- cruited. If we had kept all the new members we would have had 485 members in our district now. We kept only 153, if we take the reports by the Section Organizers. But if we take the figures revealed by the control, we kept only 61—one out of every six. These facts are alarming to every Party member, and we must find the reason, and a way to eliminate fluctuation immediately, or at least to cut it down substantially. We can use the records on dues payment as a guide. If a member is active and attends his unit meet- ings he will also pay dues regularly. We will here take one of our big- gest sections as an example. In December the discrepancy in Grand Island Section was 29. The membership was 59. In the months | of October and November it was a/ little more. Four new members| were recruited in January and the | dues purchase went up to an aver- age of 122. This is 59 more than the membership. We were natur- ally interested to know how this came about. The following facts were revealed: One of the units with eight mem- bers had not purchased any jdues since Aug. 28, 1933, and now | when the members had to be con- \ trolled, this unit bought 213 stamps |at two cents each at one time. All |members of this unit paid up for all | these weeks with two-cent stamps. | Some of them are supposed to pay more, but after being so far behind in dues they were permitted to buy | two-cent stamps. ‘The fact that dues are not paid |the Section Committee, Instead of trying to discuss together with the District Buro, and find ways to im- prove this, the Section Organizer resented the check-up by the Dis- trict Bureau. members during the same time. If we permit a member to get in arrears in dues it means that this member is on his way out of the Party. If we do not take steps immediately to correct this and bring him back to the unit, | we will lose him completely. | The District Buro is now trying to lestablish a weekly report system. |The sections must report once ® jweek on how many dues stamps were sold and order the same amount from the district. The sec- tions should insist that all units do \the same. And the units should jcheck up every week and see that the members pay their dues regu- larly. In some units organized in farm territories it is hard to hold meet- ings every week. The meetings are held mostly twice a month. There we will have to establish a system of reports every two weeks. How- ever the section will not be ex- empted from the weekly reports. Although this is not the only reason for the fluctuation, this fs one factor that cannot be over- looked. One of the main reason: is the low political level of the mem~- bership, and this can be improved |by study classes, week-end schools, land by involving the Party in mass | struggles. Only about 15 per cent of our membership subscribes to the Daily | Worker. Only about 50 copies of the Party Organizer and 5 copies lof the Communist are sold in our | district. There is no sale of the |Impre-corr and Communist Inter- | national through our Party units. We are sure that by carrying out the decision of the District Bure, that every Party member should be a reader of the Daily Worker, about study classes and week-end schools, regularly did not seem important to | Jater during the summer # district training school, we will be able to improve the political level of our | membership, making our Party more | fit to lead the workers and farmers lin struggle for their immediate de- mands, and for the final struggle for power. oR, a oar JOIN THE Communist Party 35 E. 12th STREET, N. Y. C. Please send me more informa- tion on the Communist Party. Name Street City ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS “Nox-zen-ol”—Dinitropheno!—Dan- ger in the New Weight-Re- ducing Drugs Robert T. S., Cleveland, Ohio— The newspaper clipping which you sent us was written by one of those medical enthusiasts who are more anxious to write sensational ma- terial for their readers than to stick to experience and scientific ti “Nox-zen-ol” is a put out by the R. R. Rogers Uhe..:- ical Co. of San Francisco. It is a trade name for Dinitrophenol or Alpha-Dinitrophenol. This drug has been recently used in the reduction of excess adiposity (fat). It has been shown by Cut- ting, Mehrtens and Tainter that this drug “accelerates cellular mata- olism,” which means that it burns up excess fat in the tissues. It has been shown, however, that the drug is extremely toxic, and it is still an open question whether it is as safe and as satisfactory for reducing the excess fat in human beings as the By PAUL LUTTINGER, M.D. packets of 120 capsules, each cap- sule containing three grains of the chemical, and the entire packet is supposed to be good for a 33-day treatment. We advise you not to undertake the reduction of your excess weight yourself. Even the minimum dose of three milligrams per kilogram of body-weight has ben known to pro- duce jaundice. If you must use this drug for your weight-reduction, get drug 2 reliable and conservative physi- cian to give you a metabolism test | safely take Dinitrophenol, you may insist that he see you every day check up on any possible injury that might occur, Do not pay any attention to the advertising of this drug over the radio. It is still under investiga- tion, and it does not seem logical that a chemical which does not in- crease the temperature of the body should be able to burn up excess fat at such a terrific rate as the manu- facturers claim. And once again, It is better to be fat than older methods are. beware! As a matter of, fact, there has | dead! at ete been reported, in medical press, an outstanding fatal case in the Swollen Gland person of Dr. Hans Gessnar, a| C.L., Brooklyn—The swollen gland graduate of the University of|is probably due to the fact that the Vienna, who took an overdose of Dinitrophenol, and who was “liter- ally cooked to death,” as the news- papers had it. Other reports from various parts of the country and from abroad in- dicate that Dinitrophenol is a dan- gerous drug to be used by the lay- man or even by physicians who are not fully acquainted with its action. ‘The main danger seems to be to the liver. Many of the patients who have taken even small doses of this drug have shown symptoms of liver damage. Most of them show a yellow color in the white of the eye, which means that jaundice has been produced. This jaundice can only be produced through the destruction of liver cells. If you are curious to know the exact composition of “Nox-zen-ol,” we'll inform you that it is mag- nesia-Nitroxybenzol. It is sold in tonsils having been removed, the the tonsils and stop any of the throat from going down into the lungs. The best for his constipation is to give an enema, if he has not his bowels during the day. As to your little son’s susceptibility to colds, it might be due to a number of things. Are you sure that he js wearing the proper underwear and socks? Does he get plenty of veges tables and iron-containing foods in his diet? Have you tried to give him cod-liver oil during the winter? He: may also be suffering from anemia and you better take him to your physician for an examination. If you have no money, you can bring him to our office,” ee , gland is trying to take the place ef | 4 3 |